Locarno and Film Society Set George Cukor Retrospective

Jacqueline Bisset and Anna Karina will be among the guests of honor at the upcoming Locarno Film Festival’s celebration dedicated to the master of Hollywood comedy, George Cukor. For the first time, Locarno, which takes place August 7 – 17, is collaborating on an extensive retrospective with the Film Society of Lincoln Center, where the program will be presented in December.

The Swiss festival will present Cukor’s entire body of work, including My Fair Lady, which won him an Oscar in 1965. Filmmakers, actors and critics will join post-screening discussions about Cukor’s work at the fest. Additionally, Locarno attendees will have the chance to attend a Cukor roundtable spearheaded by retrospective curator Roberto Turigliatto and other luminaries.

Bisset will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award on August 11 in Locarno’s picturesque Piazza Grande ahead of a screening of a new print of Cukor’s Rich and Famous. The actress will also take part in an open conversation about John Huston’s Under the Volcano (1984) as part of her tribute.

Filmmaker/actress Anna Karina will introduce Cukor’s 1969 feature Justine during the festival. As part of its homage to Karina, the festival will screen Jean-Luc Godard’s Bande à part, selected for Competition at Locarno in 1964, plus Luchino Visconti’s The Stranger (1967) and Pierre Koralnik’s Anna (1967).

“I feel greatly honored to welcome one of cinema’s great talents to Locarno,” said Locarno Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian. “Jacqueline Bisset is not only an extraordinary actress by virtue of her performances in the roles she has played, but is also a cinema icon, combining grace with beauty, reminding us how effective nuance is in creating a character. Over the course of her still active career she has managed to bring a personal touch to the characters she has portrayed, upholding a sense of femininity that does not exclude seduction but elevates it to another level. Her attendance is also the best way to remember George Cukor to whom Locarno is devoting its big retrospective.”

Details about Film Society's related Cukor event in December will be announced in the coming months.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center celebrates American and international cinema, to recognize and support new filmmakers, and to enhance awareness, accessibility and understanding of the art among a broad and diverse film going audience.